Working In A Mall Can Be Good!
by Kunoichi21
Summary: This is a BELATED Akuroku Day fic. He has fiery red hair, a lip ring, and dresses in gothic clothing. He works at Hot Topic. And he just so happened to order some food from Roxas...What happens? Read inside to find out! R&R please!


**DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Roxas, Axel, Demyx, or Zexion. I DO own Roxas' mom though!

A/N: Like the summary says, it's a BELATED Akuroku Day fic. The only reason it's belated in the first place is because of distractions, my mom, work, and my idiotic midnight "bedtime". I've been working on this for a while, but because of all that, I'm just now finishing and uploading it.

* * *

'_What to do now_?' Roxas thought. He'd been doing a lot of thinking these past few days. Losing sleep because of a certain redheaded cashier of the local goth shop in the mall where they both apparently worked.

Roxas worked in a favorite fast-food restaurant in the mall: Chick-Fil-A. He'd worked there for many months, gaining lots of trust and experience from the other employees.

Last week, Roxas saw a new face. '_Okay, that's an understatement…_' he mentally corrected. He saw lots of new faces every day. But this new face just so happened to be wearing a nametag for a nearby store: Hot Topic.

_The wild looking redhead was wearing a pair of Tripp pants with purple sections holding the chains, and a tight fitting thermal black shirt. He had a lip ring, two black upside-down triangle tattoos under his piercing green eyes, and his hair was a fiery red, sticking out behind his head in large spikes, stopping at his shoulders. His nametag read 'Axel'._

_Axel stepped up to Roxas' register, looking extremely confused on what to order._

"Um, I'm kinda new to this town and I've never eaten here before, so, what would you recommend?" he spoke in a gorgeous voice.

"_Well, one of our most popular items is the number five meal, or there's the number one, which comes in a deluxe meal too or-"_

"_Wait, what comes with these meals?" Axel cut the blonde off._

"_The meal includes whichever entrée you chose, plus an order of medium waffle potato fries and a medium drink. However, if you don't want the fries, you can substitute them for a fruit cup, coleslaw, chicken soup, or a side salad that comes with one of our many choices of dressings. As for the drink, since you're a mall employee, you can get a large drink for the price of a medium, or a medium for the price of a small," Roxas explained enthusiastically. _

"_Wow…um…well, what about your salads? What's in that chargrilled and fruit salad?"_

"_It comes with chargrilled chicken, strawberries, mandarin oranges, corn, romaine and iceberg lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes, and on the side you get a package of garlic croutons, and your choice of dressing."_

"_You guys have a lot to choose from…Of course, I'll need something quick to eat. So…just give me a number five, I guess," Axel ordered._

"_Alright, and will that be the eight pack or the twelve pack?" Roxas asked the redhead._

"_Let's do the twelve. I'm pretty hungry," he said, pulling out his wallet._

"_Okay, and what drink would you like with that?"_

"_Hmm…you know what, let's make it a milkshake. What flavors do you have?" the gothic cashier inquired._

"_We've got chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, cookies and cream, chocolate cookies and cream, or we've got our limited time flavor, coffee caramel," the blonde informed Axel._

"_Those sound really good. Um…I guess I'll have a…chocolate."_

"_And will that be all for today?"_

"_Uh, yeah. Thanks. How much do I owe you?"_

"_That'll be ten twenty nine," Roxas responded._

_Axel pulled out a credit card from his wallet, handing it to Roxas. The card was swiped and a receipt printed out._

"_Here you go," the blonde said, handing the card and receipt back to Axel._

_Roxas went about making the milkshake, filling the cup with the mix, squirting the chocolate sauce in it, and adding the ice cream, before putting the dome lid on. He held the cup under the mixer and made sure the milkshake was completely blended. The blonde walked back over to his register._

"_Would you like whipped cream and a cherry on top?" he asked the goth._

"_Um, no thanks."_

"_Alright, so here's your milkshake, and the food should be up in just a minute," he stated, noting that the nuggets were not yet ready to be bagged. He walked over to the counter where the food was bagged and yelled to the back, "How long on nuggets?"_

"_Ten more seconds," a random voice responded._

_Roxas prepared the bag for the nuggets, waiting for the box to come through the metal chute to be served. They came down fifteen seconds later, the blonde immediately grabbing them, placing them in the bag, and grabbing one of the medium fries next to the chutes and setting them on top. He headed back to the register he was on, handing the bag to Axel._

"_Would you like any dipping sauces with that?" he questioned the redhead. _

"_Um, I'm almost afraid to ask, but what have you got?"_

"_We've got honey mustard, barbeque, Polynesian, ranch, buffalo, Chick-Fil-A sauce, honey roasted barbeque, and regular honey," the blonde worker replied._

"_Um, let's go with honey. That sounds pretty good," Axel said, mouth watering slightly._

_Roxas walked back over to the bagging area, and sequestered two small packages of honey. He went back to his register again and placed them in the bag. Axel took some napkins and a straw from the front counter, muttering, "Thanks."_

"_My pleasure! Please come again soon," he called after the retreating figure._

_He sensed a tradition in the making. Roxas knew that Axel would be back the next day, if he worked, that is._

He'd been right about that. He was just sad that he hadn't worked the next day, too. Now that he had someone to look forward to seeing, he wanted to work every day. He knew that wouldn't be possible either, considering how many people depended on the restaurant as their main source of income.

That day, Roxas was just walking around, staying out of his house. Subconsciously, he decided to stop by Hot Topic, just for a glimpse at Axel. He walked to the left side of the store, pretending to look at the jackets, before noting that his favorite checkered wristband was due to be replaced. It was dirty from being worn everywhere, every day. It was starting to look a little ratty, too. He quickly made his way to the accessories section, right next to the counter where Axel was standing behind a register, looking quite bored.

Roxas grabbed a wristband that was exactly the same as the one he was currently wearing when he saw in his peripheral vision a wristband that was checkered with black and the _exact _color green of Axel's eyes. He decided to replace the white and black one and go for the other one, instead.

Ready to pay, he headed to the registers with his new wristband. He stood behind two guys who looked his age, or maybe a year older. One had blonde hair styled to look half like a mullet, half like a mohawk. The other one, who was quite shorter, had steel blue hair, which was styled like a "stereotypical" emo's hair was.

"Hey Axel," the taller one spoke over the blaring metal music.

"Demyx? Is that you?" he asked in a disbelieving tone. He didn't recognize the person he was talking to.

"Yep! It's been forever since I last saw you. I thought you fell off the face of the earth. Anyway, you remember Zexion, riiiiiight?"

"Uh, yeah, sort of," Axel admitted sheepishly.

"Well, then, let me _re_introduce him as," the one named Demyx paused dramatically. "My boyfriend!"

Zexion turned his head slightly, a blush forming on his cheeks.

"Wow. Congrats to you two then. How long have you been together?" the redhead inquired.

"Four months today!" The blush on Zexion's face deepened.

"Well, happy four month anniversary! I'm happy for you guys. Really," he spoke with a grin decorating his features.

"Thanks Axel! But hey, we don't want to hold things up for you, so if you wanna hang out sometime, give me a ring. Here's my number," Demyx scrawled something down on a spare napkin that just so happened to be in his pocket. He handed the napkin to Axel, took Zexion's hand, and the couple walked out of the store, Demyx waving over his shoulder.

Roxas stepped up to the counter, put the wristband on it, and got his wallet out of his pocket.

"Hey. Remember me?" The teen asked hopefully.

"Yeah, you were the one who took my order at that chicken place, right?" Axel replied by asking another question.

"Uh huh! So how was it? The food, I mean," Roxas stumbled over his words nervously.

"Pretty good! I haven't had chicken that good in a while. I'm gonna take a guess and say that you guys are busy a lot of the time."

"Yeah, you wouldn't believe how crowded it can get in a matter of minutes. It's crazy. Wanna know something? We actually put _McDonald's_ out of business," the blonde bragged.

"Holy crap. That's something then, isn't it? Oh, sorry, I never got your name. I'm Axel," the goth held out his hand, waiting.

"My name's Roxas. Nice to meet you, Axel," he shook the redhead's hand. "And, here's this," Roxas handed Axel the wristband.

Axel scanned the item, telling Roxas the total cost. The blonde handed him a five-dollar bill, got his change and receipt, and the bag was handed to him.

"Thanks, Axel," Roxas winked and walked out of the store.

Upon entering the main area of the mall, Roxas' heart was beating wildly. He'd never been that bold before. Usually he waited on the other person to make the first move. He was glad that it was darker than other stores in there, lest the blush on his face be more noticeable. The teen sat down on a bench a little ways away from Hot Topic, taking the tag off of his new wristband and slipping his old one off, replacing it with the new one.

Roxas liked the way the green looked on. He smiled to himself and decided he'd better get on his way home. He didn't want to be yelled at. So, he exited the mall, and started walking in the direction of his house.

He arrived home twenty minutes later, noticing that his mom wasn't yet there. Roxas went up the stairs to his room, kicking his shoes off and flopping himself down on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling, not really seeing it. He was already immersed in thought.

'_So, since he has gay friends, does that mean he's gay too? Or maybe bi? I wonder how much of a chance I have with him…' _The blonde pondered. While lost in his thinking, he fell asleep.

OoOoOoOoOo

The next day, Roxas woke up early. He was starving! He changed out of his clothes from the previous day and put some pajamas on for the time being. After eating breakfast, he decided he'd get a shower.

The blonde went down the stairs, already smelling breakfast. '_Smells like bacon, eggs, ooh, and pancakes!_'

He ran into the kitchen, grabbing a plate, a knife, and a fork. The teen piled his plate until it was full and made his way into the living room, seeing a note on the coffee table. It was from his mom.

'_Hi honey. There's leftover breakfast in the kitchen when you wake up. Sorry I'm not there; the hospital needed me early this morning. I love you. I'll see you tonight._

_Mom_'

"Sweet. I get the house to myself today."

Roxas turned on the TV, watching the latest of ESPN news. He ate every last piece of food on his plate, thoroughly stuffed afterwards. He sat there for a minute, watching the last details of the show, and went back into the kitchen to rinse his plate off. He turned the TV off when he was done and went to his room again to get some clothes and bathroom necessities. He stripped and went into the house's main bathroom, turning the water on and letting it warm up.

He got in, washed his hair, cleaned himself off, and got out. All in all, it was a ten-minute shower. The teen pulled a towel off the rack and dried himself off. He toweled his hair dry, spiking it like he normally did. He wrapped the towel around his waist, and then he set about brushing his teeth. Once done with his bathroom tasks, he went back to his room and got dressed.

Roxas went back downstairs, grabbing his house key off its hook and snatching his skateboard off the ground once outside. He locked his front door and headed down the steps to the sidewalk. He'd go to the arcade or skate park today. It would be a waste to sit inside all day.

He set his skate board back down and put one foot on, leaving the other on the ground to get him started on his way. He kicked off, starting out somewhat slow on the sidewalk. He put more power behind him and his right foot joined his left on the skateboard.

The teen sped down the sidewalk, deciding for now to hang out at the skate park. When he arrived, though, he saw an already familiar mass of blood red spikes. He called out, "Axel? You not have to work today?"

The redhead heard his name being called from somewhere behind him and he turned, seeing a short blonde on a skateboard coming in his direction. Roxas came up to him and stopped his skateboard before he crashed into someone.

"Oh, hey Roxas. No, I don't have to work. Freaking glad too. I've worked every day this week. What about you?" he asked in return.

"Nope. Today's Sunday, so no one at Chick-Fil-A works today. We're closed. You know, family time, and all that," the blonde rolled his eyes. "So, what's up?"

"I'm waiting for Demyx and Zexion. We decided we were gonna go see a movie. That is, if anything's playing. Course, with my luck, there's not gonna be anything good, you know?"

"Tch, tell me about it. Every time I wanna go to see something, all they've ever got are chick-flicks. It drives me crazy. I mean, I don't understand them. If you've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Right?"

"Exactly! Finally, someone who shares my pain," Axel joked. He and Roxas laughed lightly.

"Any clue what you wanna see? Horror, action…?" Roxas trailed off.

"Probably horror. Demyx doesn't like horror flicks, which means luck'll be on Zexion's side, in that case."

"I'm trying to remember, Demyx and Zexion were the ones in front of me the other day when I bought this," Roxas pointed to his wristband. "Right?"

"Right. I'll have to properly introduce you guys when they get here," the redhead decided.

"So, how do you know them?" the blonde wondered aloud.

"Well, I know Demyx from way back when I was a kid. I ended up moving one year, and I guess he did too. But I came here when my dad was offered a new, better paying job. And I guess Demyx moved here, at some point. As for Zexion, he's more of an acquaintance. He's really more Demyx's friend than mine. Of course, now one won't go anywhere without the other, so I'll be seeing him a lot more," Axel informed Roxas.

"Anyway, this is gonna be our typical 'meet-up' spot, like it used to be when we went to school together. Oh, and I was gonna ask you, wanna come with us?"

"Sure. I'm up for a movie. I don't really have anything better to do today. My mom's working at the hospital, so she's almost never home, and my dad left a couple years ago, so I'd be by myself at the house, hence why I decided to get out for now."

"Well, now that that's settled, it looks like the other two are coming," the redhead pointed to a couple holding hands, entering the skate park.

"Hey, hurry up you two! Quit taking your sweet time," Axel called out to them.

They ran over, laughing at Axel's impatience.

"Demyx, Zexion, this is my new friend Roxas. Roxas, this is Demyx," he pointed to the blonde. "And his boyfriend Zexion."

"Hey guys. Nice to meet you!"

"You too, Roxas. You coming with us to see a movie?" Demyx asked him.

"Yeah, Axel invited me already. What are we seeing?"

"Um…I'm not sure yet. We were gonna check what's playing first. But knowing Axel, he's already decided on something I won't like," the taller blonde rolled his eyes. Axel looked away suspiciously. "Right Axel?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Axel replied in a teasing tone.

"So, we gonna go see what's playing, or not?" Zexion spoke for the first time.

"Yeah, let's head out. After we get that taken care of, we can get some lunch. Is that okay with everyone?" Demyx finalized their plans for that day. They all nodded in response.

Roxas and Axel were stuck walking behind the other two, considering that the sidewalk wasn't wide enough for the four of them to walk side by side. They took their time making their way to the theater. The sun was slowly rising, staying hidden behind the fluffy, white clouds. There was a slight breeze, to which the group of friends was grateful. It might be too hot otherwise.

They reached the theater about ten minutes later, seeing the posters for the movies playing on the side of the constantly crowded building.

"Let's see, chick-flick, chick-flick, kiddie movie, chick-flick…hmm, nothing too interesting. The only one I'd be even slightly interested in seeing is "21"," Axel informed the group.

"Yeah, you're right. Well, that sucks," Demyx agreed.

"Well, if worst comes to worst, we can always rent something and head back to my place," Roxas offered. "My mom's not home right now, and she won't be back till some time past midnight."

"Sounds like a good plan. You guys up for it?" the goth asked the couple.

"Sure. I guess that's okay, right Zexy?"

Zexion grunted in response to his boyfriend's question.

Axel's stomach growled furiously, embarrassing him. Demyx and Roxas laughed at his embarrassment jokingly, Zexion merely chuckling.

"Let's go get something to eat before he starves," Roxas said, still laughing. They all decided on getting some Chinese, and from there they would head over to Hastings to check for movies.

OoOoOoOoOo

They finished lunch around one thirty, walking over to Hastings. Axel and Roxas immediately went to the horror movie section, Zexion to the books, and Demyx to the video games. Axel chose to get Saw, all of them. Roxas agreed, not really seeing anything else interesting. They rounded up the other two, paid, and went to Roxas' house.

Roxas slipped his key in the lock, setting his skateboard down by the front door. He opened the door and went inside, the others following behind him. Once everyone was inside, he shut the door and locked it again from habit.

"Feel free to make yourselves at home. You can kick your shoes off whenever and if you need a snack or soda or something, let me know," the blonde host said in a practiced manner. He put his key back on its hook saying, "I'll be right back. Let me just go put my shoes in my room really quick," Roxas went upstairs, dropping his shoes inside his room and going back down.

He saw the other three friends already getting the first Saw DVD set up, Axel shutting out all forms of light from the room. They sat on the couch, Demyx already snuggling himself into Zexion's side, and Axel on Demyx's other side. There was one open seat beside the redhead. Roxas sat down on the open space on the couch and the previews started.

Zexion, impatient, grabbed the DVD remote and hit the menu button. He immediately pressed play when the DVD's menu came up.

The movie started, and an hour into it, Demyx was burying his face in his boyfriend's chest, too scared to watch. Zexion was bored, but whispering sweet nothings into Demyx's ear, trying to soothe him. Axel laughed at the gore, and occasionally, Roxas would wince away from it. Once the first movie ended, Roxas took the DVD out of the player and put it in its case, replacing it with the second one.

"Hold on, okay? I need to use the bathroom," Demyx stated urgently.

"Oh, right this way," Roxas got up and led Demyx down a hallway to the right of the staircase. "It's the second door there on the left."

"Can you go get Zexy for me? I mean, no offense, but I don't want to be alone in a place I don't know too well after having to sit through that," the taller blonde admitted.

"Sure thing. And no offense taken. I'll be right back," Roxas went back to the living room.

"Hey, Zexion, Demyx says he wants you there with him."

"'Kay. Don't start the movie without me," Zexion stalked out of the room, looking like he was brooding, or something of the sort. He disappeared down the hall and out of sight.

"Well, now what?" Axel asked, breaking the silence before it could start.

"Want something to drink?" Roxas suggested.

"Nah, then I'll have to go to the bathroom halfway through the movie," the redhead said.

"Then I guess we just wait for them, huh."

"Guess so," Axel agreed.

Roxas took his seat on the couch again, putting his feet up on the coffee table, crossing his arms, and closing his eyes. Axel took this moment to admire Roxas' appearance. He took in the spiked hair, wanting nothing more than to run his fingers through it. The redhead shifted his eyes, following the blonde's features closely, closing in on the curvature of Roxas' lips, noting that they were slightly parted to allow for the rise and fall of his chest. Axel could feel himself leaning closer, his eyes fluttering closed as he was about to eliminate the distance between them –

"Did we miss anything?" Demyx called in a voice that sounded smug, like he had been watching the redhead. Embarrassed, Axel leaned quickly away, returning his posture to normal as the other two came back in the room. The dim light from the TV wasn't quite enough for the taller blonde to see with, and he tripped over a basket containing magazines, flailing his arms to catch himself on something and effectively shoving Axel into Roxas. Axel, now on top of Roxas, flung his arms out, but failed to catch himself, and his face lowered. Lips were smashed together in an awkward kiss.

The shorter blonde's eyes widened in shock as Axel pulled away slightly, leaving a small gap between the two.

"Oh…um…sorry?" Demyx said, not quite sure what he should really say to make the awkwardness dissipate. Zexion pulled him up and out of the room, figuring that the other two should at least sort through that moment.

Neither Axel, nor Roxas moved to get up, both staring into the other's eyes to decipher the feelings seen and felt.

"Um…hey Axel, think you could, uh…" Roxas trailed off, motioning to their positions.

"Oh, sorry. You, um, okay?" Axel asked the blonde in an embarrassed tone, setting himself upright and offering his hand to Roxas.

The shorter one grabbed the goth's hand and was pulled up to a sitting position; however, he didn't let go of Axel's hand. That, along with what just passed, had made a bright red blush form on both of their faces. Instead of replying to the redhead's question, Roxas scooted in closer to Axel, who was completely awestruck at the unexpected contact, and placed his lips tenderly against Axel's.

Demyx, who was watching silently from the hallway, cheered them on in his mind, having 'sensed' the attraction between the two. He looked away when the kiss deepened and they started 'playing tonsil hockey'. Although, for him, the situation was quite arousing. So, Demyx turned to Zexion and copied the couple in the other room.

OoOoOoOoOo

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully, except for the occasional cowardice from Demyx and Roxas, who chose to bury their faces in the closest thing. For Demyx, it was Zexion's chest, for Roxas, it was Axel's. Demyx decided that he and Zexion were going to crash at his place for the night, so once they got everything somewhat less chaotic, the older couple left, bidding the others goodnight.

The blonde, having noted the time, began to get a little antsy. And unfortunately for him, Axel noticed.

"What's up? Why're you so anxious?" the goth asked him worriedly.

"Well, my mom's gonna be home soon. And, um, I kind of haven't told her about my, ahem, preference, if you catch my drift," he replied, somewhat ashamed.

"Oh. Well, if you need me to go, I can. And besides that, I have to get home anyways. The 'rents'll be mad enough that I'm out this late."

"Are you okay with walking home by yourself this late at night?" It was Roxas' turn to be worried.

"Yeah, I do it all the time! I'll be fine. I promise," the redhead said, winking and making his way to the front door. Roxas followed quickly and turned on the outside light, so Axel would at least be able to see to get to the street. He closed the door behind them, looking at his feet shyly.

"So, um, is this goodnight then?" the shorter one wondered aloud.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so."

They stood there on the front porch awkwardly, not really sure how to progress. Roxas was still staring at his feet, but he decided to chance a glance upwards. As soon as their gaze locked, the distance dissipated and eyes closed. They were caught in a lip lock once more that evening.

'_His lips are so soft,_' Roxas thought. His other thoughts were interrupted when he felt something lick at his lips, asking for entrance. Permission was granted, and soon, the muscle was exploring his mouth, wrestling with his tongue and quickly dominating the mini battle. Arms were wrapped around the other, both wanting to be closer and closer to each other. When the air supply became low for both of them, they broke apart, a small strand of saliva still linking them.

They kept their arms holding each other as they struggled to catch their breath. Roxas' eyes were half-lidded in pure bliss. A light flush adorned his face, as well as Axel's. Axel bent down to capture the blonde's lips again, laying a light peck on them. It wasn't as lustful, but just as passionate.

"I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?" Axel queried in parting.

"Sure thing. I'll see you then," Roxas replied, pecking Axel's lips for the last time that night. They released each other, and Axel winked before stepping off the porch and onto the stone pathway through the front yard and to the sidewalk to head home.

Roxas let out a breath, leaning slightly against the door thinking back on just how he managed to get through the awkwardness. He was startled by a car, honking at him.

'_Oh, shit,_' he cursed himself. '_Please tell me she didn't see that. I'm not really in any mood to tell her tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Oh man, now what!_' the blonde mentally panicked.

A car door slammed and his mom walked up the smaller side path to the front door.

"Hi honey, did you have a good day?" she asked her son.

"Uh, yeah, it was great. How was yours?"

"Busy, as usual. But what else can you expect when you work in a hospital, right?" the woman joked casually.

"Huh, oh, right," he replied distractedly.

"Something wrong? You seem awful distracted right now. And why's your face so red? Are you running a fever?" she worried, placing her hand on her son's forehead. "Well, your face isn't too hot, so I'd say it's just embarrassment. What are you so embarrassed about anyway?"

"Um, nothing…" Roxas said, heart racing.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with that boy I saw you kissing, would it?"

The teen's eyes widened when he heard his mother's question. He couldn't believe he hadn't been in trouble for that.

"Uh, well, you see, uh…" he tried to spit out.

"Honey, it's okay. I just wish you would've told me sooner. Next time you have something you need to say, don't be afraid to tell me, alright? I'll always love you, no matter what. Now come here," she hugged Roxas and kissed the top of his head.

"Now then, considering that it's almost one o'clock in the morning, why don't we both get to bed and you can tell me more about that redhead when we get up. How's that sound?"

"Sounds pretty good. And mom, thanks. I love you too. Night."

"Night sweetie. Sleep tight," the nurse told him.

"You too," Roxas responded.

The lights were turned off and the two headed upstairs to go to their rooms and sleep.

* * *

A/N: Let me just say, this is Roxas' point of view, and it's THIRTEEN PAGES LONG!! roflmao!


End file.
